Stenographic copyholder



Sept. 26, 1950 5. FORD 'ETAA-L STENOGRAPHIC COPY'HOLDER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Nov. 29. 1948 v m m M ma R m; o VPmW T N T 1L5 A 7 R M g m Y BSept. 26, 1950 5; FORD El AL STENOGRAPHIC GOPYHOLDER 3 Sheets-She et 2Filed Nov. 29, 1948 5. FORD ET AL STENOGRAPHIC COPYHOLDER 5 Sheets-Sheet3 Filed Nov. 29.- 1948 INVENTORJ -5AMUL FORD BY Roms/er 5. WAR/V61? A7'7URNEY.

Patented Sept. 26, 1950 STENOGRAPHIC COPYHOLDER -Samue1 Ford and. RobertB. Warner, Los Angeles,

cane, assignors to Ford-Warner Manufacturing Company, a corporation ofNevada Application November 29, 1948,.Serial N 0. 62,526

l'Claim. v 1

This invention relates to a stenographers copy holder, more particularlyof the type illustrated in applicants co-pending application, Serial No.

52,566 and has for its principal object the provision of a simple andhighlyefiicient device upon which. a typewriter maybe placed, and whichcan be adjusted to hold the matter being copied above the typewriter andwithin convenient view of the operator, and which will provide a keyalongside assembled, and which can be folded down upon the typewriter toallow the latter to be covered or. lowered into a desk.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of theinvention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency.

These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is hadto the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numeralsrefer to like parts in allviews of the drawing and throughout thedescription.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 illustratesthe improved copy holder assembled ready for use;

Fig. 2 is a side View thereof, illustrating the position of aconventional typewriter thereon;

. '1- Fig. 3 is arearview thereof;

Fig. 4 is a detail, fragmentary, front view of a portion of acopy-holding bar employed in th improved holder;

Fig. 5 is a similar detail View, illustrating a side view of the bar ofFig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a similar view, illustrating the holding bar in the releaseposition;

Fig. 7 is afragmentary, enlarged, front view of a portion of the holder,taken on theline 'l--l, Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a detail section, taken on the line 8-8, Fig. '7;

'Fig.9 is a. similar section, taken on the line 9--9, Fig; 8;

Fig. 10 is a still further enlarged side view of an operating leveremployed in the device;

Fig. 11 is a horizontal section, taken on the line l'l'l I, Fig. 10; and

Fig. 12 is adetail view of an extension line indicating device used inconnection with the improved holder.

The improved copy holder is mounted on a base 2 plate l2 having upturnedside and back flanges l3. The base plate I2 is of a size to receive thefour supporting legs of a standard typewriter, such as indicated inbroken line at M in Fig. 2. A supporting frame it is riveted orotherwise secured at the rear of the base plate l2 through the medium ofattachment feet It. The frame l5 and the base plate l2 are rigidlysecured together at right angles to each other so that the frame l5 willstand upright parallel to the back of the typewriter I4.

The frame I5 is provided with two vertical channel members I! designedto-slidably receive supporting bars l8 and Ill. The bars I 8 and I9 maybe secured at any desired height in their channel members H by means ofset screws 20. The upper extremities of these two bars are bifurcated toreceive bracket ears 2|, and are provided with bolts and nuts 22 forclamping the furcations together against the ears 2|.

The ears are fixedly mounted on, and extend downwardly from, acopy-supporting ledge 23 formed on a back plate 24. The material to becopied is supported on the face of the back plate 24 by means of ahorizontally extending clamping bar 25. The bar 25 is supported acrossthe top of the plate 20 on two end arms 26 which are bent to extendupwardly over the upper edge of the backing plate 24, thence forwardlyand downwardly to pivot clips 2'! on back of the plate 24. The end arms26 curve upwardly above the plate 24 to allow paper sheets to extendbeyond the sides of the backing'plate and to be removed from the sidesof the plate without interference from the arms 26.

A line guide shaft 28 extends across the front of the plate 24 from asliding bracket member 29. A line guide member 38 is hingedly mounted onthe shaft 28 So that its upper edge may lie against the plate 24. Thefree extremity of the shaft 28 is supported from the plate 24 on afreely rotating roller 3!.

The sliding bracket member 29 is secured to a carriage 32 which engagesthe back of the plate 24 to hold the bracket member 29' in slidableengagement therewith. The carriage supports a shaft screw 33 upon whicha roller 34 is mounted. The roller 34 is grooved to roll along a fixedguide rod 35 mounted vertically on the back ofthe backing plate 24.

A clutch-arm 36 is swingingly mounted on the shaft screw 33. A push rod37 passes through anppening in the clutch arm 36, and the latterdownward-movementof the rod 37 therefore carries the carriage-32 and theline guide member 30 downwardly. iEaeh upward movement of the rod 31simply lifts the clutch arm 36 so that the rod will freely pass throughthe latter so as not to impart upward movement to the line guide member.

The entire guide assembly is yieldably supported in any desired positionby means of a braking spring 39. The braking spring- 39 constantly bearsagainst the roller 34 to resist rotation in either direction. The entiremechanism on the shaft screw 33 is enclosed in a suitable case orhousing 40.

The push rod 37 is constantly urged upwardly by means of a tensionspring 4|, by means of which the rod is suspended from the upper edge ofthe plate 24. The lower extremity of the push rod 37 is hingedly securedto an operating lever 42 which is pivoted to a bracket 43 upon a pivotscrew 44. The bracket 43 is riveted or otherwise secured to the back ofthe plate 24 adjacent the lower right-hand corner thereof.

The downward arc of movement of the leve 42 is limited by means of astop ledge 47 extending from the bracket member 53.

The amount of upward movement of the operating lever 42 can be adjustedto any desired line spacing by means of an adjusting screw 45, the lowerextremity of which is in the path of the lever 42. Accidental rotationof the screw is prevented by means of a rotation-resisting spring 45.

The lever 42 can be forced downwardly directly by hand, if desired. Itis preferred, however, to place means more in convenient reach of theoperator for operating this lever.

For remote operation, a fieXible wire 48 extending through a flexibletube 49 is employed, The upper extremity of the wire is clamped in aterminal block 50 by means of a set screw 52. The

extremity of the terminal block 59 is reduced to form a pivot shaft 52which extends through a clip 53 in which it is secured by means of acotter key 54. The clip 53'is mounted on the lever 42 by means of amounting screw 55 which is threaded into the extremity of the lever 42.

The upper extremity of the flexible tube 49 is supported in a bracket 56rigidly attached to, and extendingfrom, the supporting bar 19. The lowerextremity of the tube 49 is secured to on of the side flanges 13 bymeans of a clamp screw 57. The lower extremity of the wire 48 projectsfrom the tube 39 and is secured to a pivot rivet 58 in a hand lever 59mounted on a hinge bolt 60 in the side flange [3.

The lever 59 carries a finger button 6| in its forward extremity which,when the typewriter i4 is in place, is positioned at the right side ofthe keyboard of the typewriter.

In use, the typewriter is placed on the base plate 12. The screws 20 areloosened and th bars I8 and 19 are raised and lowered to position theplate 24 at a convenient height for the particular stenographer. The setscrews are then tightened and the copy is slipped beneath the clampingbar 25 and beneath the line guide member 30. The clutch arm 36 is liftedby squeezing it between the thumb and finger toward a fixed finger clip62. This releases the line guide, which is moved to the uppermost lineof the copy and the adjusting screw 45 is adjusted for the line spacingon the copy.

Copying is then commenced. At the conclusion of each line of copy, thestenographer simply strikes the finger button 6 I, which causes the lineguide member to move down a preset line space.

If unusually wide copy be encountered, a side extension plate, such asindicated at 63, can be 4 applied to the left side of the plate 24. Theextension plate is provided with tenon members 64 which extend intoopenings in receiving clips 65 on the back of the plate 24, in whichthey may be locked by means of set screws 66.

The line guide member 30 may be extended over the extension plate 63 bymeans of an edge extension member 67, as shown in detail in Fig. 12. Theextension member 67 is formed in a U-shape, which can be slipped overthe upper edge of the line guide member 30, and is provided with aretaining spring 68 which snaps over the line guide shaft 28.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described andillustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same maybe varied,within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from thespirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired securedby Letters Patent is:

Means for supporting and operating a copyholder and a line indicatingdevice over a typewriter comprising: a base plate adapted to support thetypewriter; upturned side and back flanges along the side and back edgesof said base plate; a vertical supporting frame secured to and arisingfrom said base plate along the rear edge thereof; two vertical,spaced-apart channel members in said frame; a supporting bar verticallyslidable in each channel member, each bar having a bifurcated upperextremity; a set screw in said frame engaging each bar to support thelatter at any desired height in its channel memher; a bracket earhingedly mounted in the bifurcated upper extremity of each post; meansfor locking said bracket ears in said bifurcations; a copy supportingledge member fixedly mounted on and extending between said bracket ears,said holder and said line indicating device being supported from saidledge member; a hinge bolt extending through one of the side flanges ofsaid base member; a hand lever hingedly mounted on said hinge bolt andextending forwardly therefrom; a flexible member extending from saidhand lever to said line indicating device for operating the latter; anda supporting arm mounted on one of said vertical bars and supportingsaid flexible member.

SAMUEL FORD. ROBERT B. WARNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Switzerland Apr. 2, 1923

